Coin-controlled movable trap cham



June 20, 1950 J. P. FLEM Y 2,511,907

COIN CONTROLLED MOVABLE TRAP CHAMBER WITHIN SUPPLY CHAMBER FOR MEASURINGAND DISPENSING LIQUIDS Filed April 22, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 F/G.i. z Mf June 20 E95@ J. P. FLEM 2511,90?

COIN CONTROLLED MOVABLE TRAP CHAMBER WITHIN SUPPLY CHAMBER FOR MEASURINGAND DISPENSING LIQUIDS Filed April 22, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 63 M) FIG.4.

swam Wu JAMES .2 FL EM,

l atenteci june 20,

UNITED STATES PATENT omce COIN-CONTROLLED MOVABLE TRAP oIiAM- BER.WITHIN SUPPLY CHAMBER FOR MEASURING AND DISPENSING LIQUIDS Thisinvention relates to improvements in coin controlled liquid dispensingdevices and more particularly to devices for dispensing liquid such asfuel for cigarette lighters. The device is not limited however to thedispensing of any particular liquid and may be used for dispensing anytype of liquid as may be desired without in an way exceeding the scopeof the invention.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide a coin controlledliquid dispensing device which is attractive in appearance and simpleand economical to manufacture, which is coin controlled in a manner todispense only a predetermined quantity of liquid for each coin insertedtherein, which is operative to dispense liquid i therefrom by gravityflow rather than by pump action so that the rate of flow of liquid fromthe device can be manually controlled, which is positive and uniform inoperation, and which does not require frequent servicing or repair whilein use.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a considerationof the following description in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a liquid dispensing deviceillustrative of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the device on the line 2-2 ofFig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of one of the disks of the coincontrolled mechanism; and,

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of an intermediate disk of the coincontrolled mechanism.

With continued reference to the drawings and particularly to Fig. 2, thedevice comprises, in general, an outer receptacle or casing I0, a liquidtank I I seated in the casing Ill, a metering device I2 disposed in thetank, a tap or spigot I3 leading from the metering device to theexterior of the casing in the front face thereof, and a coin controlledmechanism I4 mounted on the front face of the casing I and operativelyconnected with the metering device I2.

Continuing the description in greater detail,

the casing or receptacle I0 comprises a hollow.

body, preferably of rectangular cross sectional shape, having fourvertical walls including a front wall 5, a rear wall I5 and associatedside walls. The upper end of the casing is open while the bottom endrests upon a base portion l I having a flat bottom wall I8 anddownwardly inclined front and side walls. The base I! may be formedintegrally with the casing or may be provided as a separate component inwhich case it preferably includes an upstanding flange around the upperedges thereof which receives the lower edges of the casing walls andaccurately positions the casing walls relative to the base. The rearwall It of the casin is preferably made shorter than the front wall toexpose the upper portion of the liquid containing tank II and the sidewalls have their top edges faired between the front. wall and the rearwall.

The liquid containing tank I I fits into the rearward portion of thecasing and rests at its bottom upon the base I Ileaving a space betweenthe frontwall of the tank and the front wall of the casing. The upperend wall of the tank is provided with a flanged filler opening I9 closedby a screw threaded plu and has an upwardly extending open top portion2| positioned above the highest level of the liquid in the tank.

The metering device I2 comprises a cylinder 22 whichis verticallydisposed and has a base plate portion 23 positioned against the innersurface of the front wall 24 of the tank. This cylinder is secured inposition by having the end of the tubular stem portion 25 of the spigot.I3 threaded into an aperture in the base plate 23.

; This stem portion 25 extends through the front wall 22 i of the tank,across the space between the tank and the front wall of the casing,

through the front wall I5 of the casing where it device is in theinoperative position shown, the

bottom piston 23 is positiond adjacent to or resting, upon the bottomend wall 32 of the cylinder and the upper piston is positioned so thatits top edge is slightly below an aperture 33 provided in the cylinderwall near the top end of the cylinder.

When thehollow shaft 29 is raised to its upper limiting positionthepiston 3|] will be positioned so that its lower edge is slightlyabove the aperture 33 and the piston 30 overlies. the inner end of thetubular stem 25 of the spigot I3. Under .these conditions liquid in thetank II may flow .through the aperture 30 to fill the space between thepistons 30 and 3|, any air trapped in this space escaping through anaperture 34 in the tubular shaft 29 just below the piston 30 and 3upwardly through the tubular shaft to an exit aperture 35 positionednear the top end of the shaft.

When the shaft is returned from its uppermost to its lowermost position,as illustrated in Fig. 2, the liquid trapped between the two pistons 30and 3| may then flow out of the cylinder through the spigot l3 the rateof flow being controlled by the manual valve 28. A spring biased checkvalve 36 i operatively associated with an aperture provided in thebottom wall 32 of the cylinder so that any fluid trapped between thelower piston 3| and the end wall of the cylinder may flow out of thecylinder through this check valve and will not interfere with theoperation of the metering device. As the liquid is withdrawn from the'c'ylinder through the spigot I3 air replacing the fluid withdrawn mayfiow through the upper aperture 35 in the tubular shaft 29 downwardlythrough the shaft and out of the lower aperture 34 into the upper end ofthe space within the cylinder between the'pistons 3i and-3| thusavoiding any vacuum lock of the fluid in the metering device.

A lever 31 extends through an aperture 38 in the upper end portion ofthe tank front wall 24 and is fulcrumed intermediate its length on apivot 39 secured to the front wall at one side of the aperture 38. Theinner end of this lever is pivotally connected at 40 to the upper end ofthe tubular shaft 29 and the outer end is pivotally connected at 4| tothe upper end of a link 42 the lower end of which is connected to thepin of a crank 43 positioned in the space between the tank front Wall 24and the casing front wall and formed on the end of a shaft 44 whichextends through an aperture 45 in the front wall of the casing.

A coiled tension spring 46 -is connected at its lower end to the link 42and at its upper end to the tank front wall 24 adjacent the aperture 38and imposes a resilient upwardly directed force on'the link 42 whichtends to resiliently urge the tubular shaft 29 downwardly to movethepistons 30 and 3| to their lower-limiting position, as illust'ratedin Fig. 3.

A disk 4'! having a peripheral flange 48 and a central aperture issecured to the casing front wall |'5 so that the shaft 44 extendsthroughthe aperture in the disk and an outer or front disk "49 having aperipheral flange 5D and a central aperture is secured in position sothat the flange 50 abuts the edge of the flange 48 and the shaft 44extends through the central aperture of the disk '49. These outer andinner disksare secured together and to the front wall 15 of the casingby noncircular central aperture by means of which the disk is fixed'upon the squared or non-circular intermediate portionof the shaft 44. Ahandle or turning bar 53 is secured upon'the outer end of the shaftbeyond the disk 52 in a, manner "such that the shaft 44 may be manuallyrotated "by this handle or turning bar.

The intermediate disk 52 is provided in one "edge portion thereof with acoin receiving notch or recess 54 and the outer disk 49 is provided withan aperture 55 through which a coin may be inserted into the coinreceiving recess in the intermediate disk.

A spring finger 56 is secured to the inner surface of the back plate 41in a manner 'such that closed by the lower valve 33 at this time.

its free end enters the coin slot in the intermediate disk and locks theintermediate disk against rotation except when a coin is carried in theslot. When a coin is disposed in the coin receiving slot of theintermediate disk this spring finger or dog member is held out ofengagement with the intermediate disk and the handle 53 can then beturned to rotate the shaft 44 and crank 43.

A second spring finger or detent 51 carried by the rear disk engages atits free end a circular series of ratchet teeth 58 provided on one faceof the intermediate disk surrounding the central aperture therein sothat the intermediate disk cannot be rotated backwardly but once a coinhas been inserted and rotation of the handle 53 initiated the handlemust be turned through a complete revolution before the metering devicebecomes operative, and cannot be reversed in direction to cause themetering device to deliver more than one measure of liquid for each coininserted.

The rear or back disk 41 is provided in the lower edge portion thereofwith a coin discharging notch or recess 59 which registers with anaperture E30 provided in the front wall of the casing.

A 'spring'finger 6| carried by the front disk is so positioned that whena coin is brought by the intermediate disk into registry with the recess59 in the rear disk this finger will press the coin out of theintermediate disk and through the recess 59 and aperture 60 so that'itwill fall into the space between the casing front wall and the tankfront wall. -A-coin receiving drawer 62 is provided in the base I! andunderlies'the space between the front walls of the casing and tank sothat the coins will fall into this drawer and may be removed from theapparatus by an authorized person having a key to the drawer lock 63.

The-outwardly projecting portion 2| of the tank and the adjacent portionof the casing is closed by a top cover plate or cap 64 which provides-aneat and ornamental closure for the upper end of the device-and retardsthe escape of fluid from the tank by evaporation.

The operation of the device 'is believed to be clearly apparent from thedrawings and the above' description. When it is desired to withdrawliquid from the device a coin, of small dimensions in the case 'ofcigarette lighter fuel, is inserted through the aperture 55 into thecoin receiving recess 54 in the intermediate disk 52. The handle 53 isthen rotated, turning the crank 43. The first half revolution of thehandle moves the link 42 downwardly thereby raising the tubular-shaft 29and the two spaced pistons St and 3| to a position such that liquid willflow from the tank through the aperture 33 in the cylinder 22 into thespace within the cylinder between the two pistons, theinner ends of thespigot It being Continued rotation of the handle '53 through theremaining'hali revolution will return the pistons 30 and 3| to theirlower position, as "illustrated in Fig. 2, in which position of thepistons the liquid in the metering device may flow out through thespigot I 3 when the valve 28 is open, the rate of flow of fluid from themetering device being controlled by operation of the valve 28.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presentembodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrativeand not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by theappended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and allchanges which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of theclaims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed is:

1. In a liquid dispensing device, a, casing, a liquid-containing tanksupported in said casing, a conduit leading from the interior of saidtank to the exterior of said casing, a valve in said conduit exteriorlyof said casing for manually controlling the discharge of liquid throughsaid conduit, a metering device operatively connected to said tank andsaid conduit for controlling the entry of liquid from said tank intosaid conduit, and manually-operated means carried by said casing andoperatively connected with said metering device for actuating thelatter, said metering device comprising a vertically-disposed cylinderconnected near its lower end with said conduit and having near its upperend an aperture connecting the interior of said cylinder with theinterior of said tank, a tubular rod extending from above the level ofliquid in said tank into said cylinder, and a pair of spaced-apartpistons mounted on said rod for reciprocation in said cylinder betweentwo operative positions in one of which the lower piston closes saidconduit and the upper piston is positioned above said aperture forfilling the space in said cylinder between said pistons from theinterior of said tank and in the other of which the upper piston closessaid aperture and the lower piston is disposed below said conduit forgravitational flow of the liquid content of said space through saidconduit, said tubular rod having an aperture therein above the liquid insaid tank and an aperture therein between 2. In a liquid dispensingdevice, a casing, a liquid-containing tank supported in said casing, aconduit leading from the interior of said tank to the exterior of saidcasing, a valve in said conduit exteriorly of said casing for manuallycontrolling the discharge of liquid through said conduit, a meteringdevice operatively connected to said tank and said conduit forcontrolling the entry of liquid from said tank into said conduit, andmanually-operative means carried by said casing and operativelyconnected with said metering device for actuating the latter, saidmanuallyoperative means comprising a shaft extending through androtatably mounted in the wall of said casing, a handle on the outer endand a crank on the inner end of said shaft, a lever pivoted intermediateits length in the wall of said tank above said shaft, a link connectingthe outer end of said lever with said crank, and a rod connecting theinner end of said lever with said metering device to actuate the latterupon manual rotation of said shaft.

JAMES P. FLEM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 65,897 Fickett et a1 June 18,1867 934,634 Terrell Sept. 21, 1909 1,645,475 Cohen Oct. 11, 19271,651,731 Schatz Dec. 6, 1927 1,653,460 Henderson Dec. 20, 19271,725,497 Webber Aug. 20, 1929 2,039,624 Bigelow May 5,1936 2,069,673Lima Feb. 2, 1937 2,101,020 Coleman Dec. 7, 1937

